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French at Oxford or Law with French Law at UCL

Hi everyone,

Very simply, this is the dilemma which I face: I have to decide between French at Oxford, and Law with French Law at UCL.

As far as problems go, I suppose that this is a pretty good one to have, but any advice would be much appreciated,

NothingCrushesUs

edit. To be clear, what I want to know is which option will set me up best for life!
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 1
Avatar for rm22
rm22
8
Well to be honest it depends what you'd like to do as a profession later on, but even that isn't that much of a problem.

If you'd like to be a Barrister without having to do GDL (Conversion Course to law) then I'd say go to UCL.

If you'd like to be a solicitor or anything else really, I'd say go to Oxford. You could even go to Oxford and still become a barrister by doing the GDL after you graduate, but it is expensive.

I don't think anyone can deny that Oxford is the better university, I've heard of people with degrees like German from Oxbridge going onto become front office traders at investment banks. I personally would go for Oxford because no other institution in the world can replicate the 1 on 1 tutorial system and the whole Oxbridge collegiate experience. Also, I don't know how likely it is, but maybe you could switch courses if you really didn't like French at Oxford or maybe combine it with Law there aswell?

Good luck with whichever you decide to go for!
Reply 2
Avatar for xmarilynx
xmarilynx
18
Considering how different the two courses are, I think you need to base your decision on this rather than the prestige of the two institutions. Oxford language courses are very literature based, whereas at UCL that would be a full English law degree plus the French language and knowledge of the French legal system (the latter being only 1/5 of your degree for your first year). Which would you enjoy more? English Tort, Property etc law and the French legal system or literary translation and reading Baudelaire? How do you want to spend your year abroad? Oxford has more options available here, but Assass, whom UCL is partnered with, is the best law school in France. Which would be more relevant to what you want to do later? Personally I feel Law with French Law would open more doors, but it really does depend on what you want to do.
Original post by NothingCrushesUs
Hi everyone,

Very simply, this is the dilemma which I face: I have to decide between French at Oxford, and Law with French Law at UCL.

As far as problems go, I suppose that this is a pretty good one to have, but any advice would be much appreciated,

NothingCrushesUs


The courses will be really different. What do you like most about French: is it the language side or also the cultural side? At Oxford you'll have a lot of literature to study, and I mean a lot. This is perfect for people who love that sort of thing (like me) but it might not suit some. Going for UCL would give you clearer options after you graduate (not necessarily more). Are you sure you want to pursue a career in law? If so, UCL would be a more direct route. If you're not fussed and just want to learn about French language and culture in great depth then I would go for Oxford.

What college do you have an offer from?

Incidentally, did you consider applying for Law with study in Europe at Oxford?
(edited 11 years ago)
Original post by qwertyuiop1993
The courses will be really different. What do you like most about French: is it the language side or also the cultural side? At Oxford you'll have a lot of literature to study, and I mean a lot. This is perfect for people who love that sort of thing (like me) but it might not suit some. Going for UCL would give you clearer options after you graduate (not necessarily more). Are you sure you want to pursue a career in law? If so, UCL would be a more direct route. If you're not fussed and just want to learn about French language and culture in great depth then I would go for Oxford.

What college do you have an offer from?

Incidentally, did you consider applying for Law with study in Europe at Oxford?


Hi,

The thing I love most about French is most probably the literature. On the other hand, I'm currently on a gap year on the Pinsent Masons gap year scheme, and I can see myself quite enjoying law.

I have an offer from St Hugh's (no I wasn't pooled there, and no I didn't realise that it had such a high proportion of people pooled to it when I applied :wink: )

In terms of Oxford's Law with a European Legal System course, I did consider it, but back at application time, I was panicking to a massive extent (the shock of working full time along with everything else) and thought that I might not end up with any offers, forget about Law at Oxford. That's not to say that I necessarily think that I would prefer Law to French though.

edit. Do you mind if I ask you some questions about the course/what you can do with your year abroad sorry?
(edited 11 years ago)

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